Penalty
by Laurie-ky
Summary: The Sentinel. Gen. Jim Ellison, Blair Sandburg. Partners stick together. Takes place following the scene in Simon's office, during the episode Killlers.


**Fandom: **The Sentinel

**Title:** Penalty

**Author:** Laurie

**Type: **Gen Blair Sandburg, Jim Ellison.

**Rating:** K+

**Story Notes:** Beta'ed by T. Verano. A missing scene from Killers.

**Summary: **Partners stick together Takes place following the scene in Simon's office, during the episode _Killlers_.

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**Penalty**

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**As I leave the police station, Simon's lecture still running through my head, I see Sandburg down the street, waiting for me. He's leaning against a wall, hands deep in the pockets of his too big, Salvation Army coat. His shoulders are slumped and he looks like he's lost, like he's got nowhere else to go. I focus my eyes and see the worried, pensive expression on his face. Standing there like that, he looks too quiet. Don't think I've seen the kid when he wasn't excited or energetic before now; but I'm not surprised, considering what happened a little while ago.

I'm walking fast down the street, but he doesn't see me yet. I don't want to hear his accusations and recriminations. He followed my lead in doing the wiretap, despite his better judgment. I know I'm to blame for his involvement, but damn it, I gave him a choice. He could have blown me off. I regret that we were caught, but I don't regret my actions. Juno needs to be stopped; and, he's got some trick, some angle, he's working that I haven't figured out yet. That son of a bitch killed Danny and I won't let him get away with it.

I shouldn't have called Blair to meet me about Juno, but I felt I needed him with me. Why? I don't know. Why he stayed when he clearly had reservations …well, that I don't know either.

Well, I do know what's sucked the life out of the kid. He tried really hard to be stoic, taking his cues from me, when Simon was reaming us out for violating Tommy Juno's 'civil rights.' He kept his eyes on Simon's tie for the most part. I could see him with my peripheral vision as he tried to keep his emotions off his face. He hasn't had the practice I've had, obviously, because I could read him like a book and I bet Simon could too. The captain was trying to teach the kid a lesson, though; he didn't mean it about Blair going to jail.

All the time we were in Simon's office, being read the riot act, Blair's heart was beating faster than normal and he smelled of anxiety, anger and sadness. I don't know much about the emotions that are associated with other people's changing scent, except I do know most of Blair's scent-emotions. He was pretty upset, and he tore out of there as fast as he could after the loss of his observer badge and credentials. I guess being a police observer meant more to him than I realized.

I'm walking past him now and he pushes off the wall and comes after me. I ignore him, I feel too frustrated to deal with his anger with me right now. Of course, why did I think just because I was ignoring him, he would return the favor? No, he's following me, trying to catch up with my longer strides. When he tries to talk to me, I end up reluctantly listening to him despite myself.

Yep, I tell myself, here comes the accusations and drama, since he's calling me an "arrogant, self destructive schmuck." _Fine_, I think, _I don't need you and you don't need me_. Then he says, "if I say it to you, then I got to say it to me, I went along with you," so I slow down enough for him to catch up to me. Okay, so he's not being as judgmental as I thought he would be, despite the loss of his position at the station.

Blair disagrees with me when I tell him he'll have to find another subject for his thesis, and I can see the determination re-animating his face, as the wind blows his hair and his arms and hands start doing the communicating for him. I'm not letting him know this, but I feel a surge of gratitude towards my little grad student. And I'm promoting him from observer to partner; because, despite my hot-and-cold attitude towards him over the last couple of weeks, he's proven himself by sticking with me.

He may not want to carry a gun, but he's got my back, just the same.


End file.
